Aug201207

Staff

Even before the 2012 Preseason kicked off with the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, NFL fans have been showing their passion and excitement for the return of football attending training camp practices in large numbers. Across the league, teams reported record attendance at practices and scrimmages.

In Denver, 41,304 fans attended the Broncos’ scrimmage at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday, August 4 (right), the largest crowd to see a Denver practice in the franchise’s history and more than twice the single-practice record (20,782 fans) set two years ago. According to Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post, the fans on Saturday “spilled out of the stadium’s lower bowl, forcing the Broncos to open up the stadium’s upper deck.” Through the eight sessions that have been open to the public this year, 69,821 fans have watched Denver and new QB Peyton Manning practice, far surpassing the Broncos’ previous total attendance record for a training camp (45,124 in 2011).

The Washington Redskins tweeted that “24,650 passionate fans” gathered on Saturday for Fan Appreciation day to watch QB Robert Griffin III’s debut. The Panthers had the largest crowd at a Panthers’ Fan Fest since 1996 with 22,070 fans attending Saturday’s public practice at Bank of America Stadium. In addition, more than 30,000 fans attended the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scrimmage and autograph session Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.

NFL fans across the country are coming together to support their teams and get Back to Football in record numbers. Among the postcards from training camp:

A record crowd estimated at 14,500 attended the Arizona Cardinals practice in Flagstaff, AZ on July 28

27,000 fans attended the Chicago Bears Family Night scrimmage on August 3; In addition, more than 10,000 fans attended the Bears’ first padded training camp practice

Nearly 55,000 fans attended the Green Bay Packers Family Night on August 3

A record-breaking sellout of 5,715 attended the Houston Texans’ practice at the team’s Methodist Training Center on July 28

The Miami Dolphins had nearly 9,000 fans at their scrimmage on August 4 at Sun Life Stadium

The New England Patriots opened training camp July 26 with more than 12,000 fans in attendance in Foxboro

12,753 fans were in attendance at the St. Louis Rams’ first-ever Fan Fest on August 4